12:39 PM:
According the Flyers official website 22-year-old Rusian sensation Sergei Bobrovsky will get the start in goal for Philadelphia tonight.

"Bobrovsky led the team in preseason action, appearing in five games and posting a 3-0-1 mark to go along with a 1.76 goals-against average and .939 save percentage in 205 minutes of play, allowing six goals on 98 shots."
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12:34 PM:
Coahspeak with Dan Bylsma...

Arron Asham, after further evaluation, wanted to play. We were hoping to play him, but he is going to be placed on IR. As a result, we have called up Eric Tangradi. For those of you who were concerned about Eric, we hoped Arron would be able to play, but possibly knowing he wouldnít be able to play, we sent Eric to Wheeling in case this was a possibility he had to come back here, with the round trip being two hours instead of 10 hours to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

On Tangradi being nervous growing up a Flyers fan:
I think the things we bounced around this end, regardless of the situation, this is the start of the season, the home opener against Philadelphia. Iím pretty confident that regardless of any situation he would have been experiencing some jitters and some things other than hockey in his head tonight.

On Letangís status:
Kris is under the weather. He is a game-time decision.

On why Patrick Killeen was recalled:
It was just because Patrick has been sent down to the East Coast Hockey League. Gilles Meloche works with all of our goalies. Patrick is considered a prospect, so this was a chance for Gilles to work with him today.

On Tangradi staying with the Penguins when Asham returns:
Thatís a great question. I think that will play itself out a little bit considering how everyone plays and how our team plays where he fits in when Arron Asham gets healthy.

On why Despres was sent down:
He was not going to be in our starting lineup. The situation he would have been in if he would have stayed with our team was one where he would have been in and out of the lineup and not getting a great chance. Thatís not something we thought was good for his development. Simon did a great job in this camp. He showed he is going to play in this league. He could probably play right now. But for our team and our situation, itís probably not the best thing for his development.

On paring Goligoski and Engelland:
I couldnít tell you the exact number of games they have played together, but itís probably in the 80-100 range. Just that comfort I think is something that we looked at this morning when we were entertaining possibilities with Kris being under the weather. I think if the game would play out, you would see 3 (Goligoski) and 7 (Paul Martin) playing together and 44 (Brooks Orpik) and 4 (Zbynek Michalek) playing together.

On who will fill the net-front role on the power play:
We had a meeting with about five players regarding the net-front guy. The one who does it the best will be the one who stands there. The purpose and what we would like to see from that position has been explained very specifically.

On opening the new arena:
I think we wanted to win some games in here (during the preseason) to break it in. Itís beautiful, itís nice, itís an awesome place in a lot of different aspects, but we want this to be a tough place to play. We want this to be a place that visiting teams donít want to be in and donít want to come play in. Winning exhibition games is nice and took some polish off the seats, but the real thing will be something different. Tonight is the real life. Itís opening night and itís Philly. There are a lot of things that make this game special.

Sidney Crosby
On the motivation playing Philadelphia:
I donít think we need any extra motivation at this point. If anything it adds to it, but I really donít think you can add to it at this point. Itís a great way to start the year especially in this new building.
On how much different this game feels than the preseason home games:
Itís more exciting. This is why we all play. I think weíre all looking forward to getting a routine and playing for something here.
On all the little details of CONSOL Energy Center:
I think the biggest thing is that they made it feel comfortable with all the tradition around here. I think anyone will tell you in any organization or any player that the history of their team is so important, so it just adds to everything.
On the Mario Mosaic:
Itís pretty incredible that they were able to do that.
On managing the excitement level of the first game:
We just have to use it to motivate us. I donít think we have to change anything. Thereís a lot of excitement that comes with this anyway. Itís all part of a first game and itís something weíll have to deal with, and weíll be able to deal with our emotions. If anything, I hope it makes it better.

Mike Comrie
On playing on a top line and the top power-play unit:
I think that there are a lot of capable players in here. Whoever is on the ice has to do their best and fulfill their role. Thereís obviously some talented players that can get you the puck. We are all excited about this year. We know itís a long year and there are going to be ups and downs. On paper we have a great team. If we stay healthy we can really give ourselves a chance to compete.

On being a free agent steal:
I think that we have a lot of work ahead of ourselves. We all want to contribute. The preseason is over and now it is time to start playing for real. We are all excited about that.

12:10 PM:
The Flyers are finishing up their morning skate. Defenseman Chris Pronger, who has a knee injury, wasn't looking to limber in the early going. He is still on th ice while the majority of his teammates have departed. Though it's not a definite sign, but is an indication that he will not play tonight.

12:05 PM:Eric Tangradi had an interesting 24 hours. He was assigned to Wheeling of the ECHL Wednesday evening, only to be recalled Thursday morning. Head coach Dan Bylsma said the reasoning behind the move was due to the upper-body injury Arron Asham has been dealing with.

"We knew there was a possibility Asham couldnít play," Bylsma said. "So we sent Eric (Tangradi) to Wheeling so that he could be here roundtrip in two hours versus 10 hours to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton."

"I got a call this morning to come back," said Tangradi, who will be wearing No. 26 in the lineup tonight. "I feel fortunate to be here. I planned on practicing in Wheeling today and the plan changed."

Tangradi, who has 12 family and friends attending Thursday's home opener, has enjoyed the social media melee over his interesting journey.

"It was a confusing 24 hours, but Iím back in Pittsburgh," he said. "It was fun looking at Twitter last night. There were a lot of interesting rumors being spread, very, very interesting rumors. I canít say any to you guys, but I had a couple good laughs yesterday."

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11:35 AM:
Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma gave a couple of injury updates at his media conference:

10:49 AM:
Defenseman Kris Letang is not on the ice. We'll get an update as soon as we hear anything.
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10:38 AM:
Student rushers lined up as early 8:30 Wednesday night to get a ticket to the grand opening of CONSOL Energy Center. The line was full this morning. Penguins CEO David Morehouse, GM Ray Shero and head coach Dan Bylsma passed out donuts and coffee to the rushers. View the full photo gallery here.

9:48 AM:
Goaltender Patrick Killeen, who was recalled from Wheeling of the ECHL Wednesday, did some work on the ice with goaltender coach Gilles Meloche and strength coach Mike Kadar before the team's morning skate.
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9:30 AM:
Welcome to CONSOL Energy Center - the new home of the Pittsburgh Penguins! The day has finally come. There will be a lot of festivities taking place for Thursday's opener - with a red carpet, big screen and the hated Flyers - but everyone should take a minute to reflect on what this new arena has really meant for the Penguins and the city of Pittsburgh. I did that yesterday and this was the result.

So take some time to enjoy the great accomplishments ...

OK. Now let's play some hockey. The 2010-11 season has arrived. Game on!